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(02/19/01 4:13am)
I have been blessed with the magic of "Show Boat." It is the only musical reaching masterpiece status. How else would a show still attract audiences after more than 70 years, by filling seats anytime, anywhere? It is almost unbelievable that the musical that started it all is still around for comparison with its contemporary successors. \n This production of "Show Boat" does justice to the high expectations its predecessors have created. \nThis musical is notorious for its vocally demanding songs. All the performers rose to the occasion -- they were avid singers. Jodi Darling (Magnolia), Rob Richardson (Ravenal) and Phillip Lamar Boykin (Joe) were especially impressive. Their voices had opera caliber. Boykin's performance of "Ol' Man River" gave me chills. He hit notes with a depth almost impossible to comprehend.\nUnlike other musicals, the music in "Show Boat" was varied and beautiful. Some of the songs were in ragtime, the predecessor of jazz and the popular genre of the 1920s. At the beginning of the play, the music resembled a more classical genre, like that of an opera. This demonstrated the setting, which was before the turn of the century.\nThe play takes place in a timeline over about 40 years, so the director had to come up with tools other than just the music to show time had passed. Clayton Phillips did a wonderful job of this. He utilized montage musical pieces performed by the chorus to show the passage of time in a creative way.\nThe costumes were important to the show. The black characters wore dull, rag-like clothing, while the white characters wore vivid, flashy outfits. This represented social standing, and therefore touched on one of the major themes of the play, segregation.\nThe set in the production is just as impressive as that of any Broadway musical. They had an immense boat on stage and plenty of set changes to create a more life-like atmosphere.\nThis show depicted tender issues such as segregation and female inferiority, so typical of this era. I can almost imagine people in those times breaking out singing in the middle of conversations. These points come across without making the show draining and solely educational. The show turned out to be entertaining and funny, yet still educational.\nIt is a given that acting in musicals is usually exaggerated. This was no exception, but if anything, the performers' characterizations were as real as possible in a musical. I was especially sold on the palpable chemistry between the various couples in the show, especially Magnolia and Gaylord, Joe and Queenie and Andy and Parthy. \nThe ending of the play was one of my favorite parts, and very powerful. All the cast members got together to sing "Ol' Man River" in front of a beautiful sunrise. It symbolized both the end of the day and the show.\n"Show Boat" was an absolute revival, not just of a musical but -- more importantly -- of a forgotten era.
(02/16/01 4:20am)
Tonight is the last chance to catch this year's national tour of the classic musical "Show Boat" at the IU Auditorium.\nBased on a novel by Edna Ferber and created for the stage by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, the original "Show Boat" had its debut in 1927 to rave reviews. Set on the Mississippi River in the late 1800s, the crew of the boat, the Cotton Blossom, takes the audience to a bygone day as "Show Boat" follows the lives of Cap'n Andy Hawkes, his wife Parthy and his daughter Magnolia. The musical includes such recognizable songs as "Only Make Believe," "Can't Help Lovin' That Man," "Bill" and the classic, "Ol' Man River."\nBryan Rives, general manager for the IU Auditorium, said he is excited to bring "Show Boat" to the auditorium's stage. He said although his personal interest in the theater is in Broadway musicals, he does not choose the shows. The auditorium conducts surveys to determine which shows should be presented each season. \n"'Show Boat' has proven to be such a popular choice amongst all the events we are presenting this season that the only seats we have left for sale are in the rear balcony," Rives said.\nTuckey Requa, a marketing associate of NETworks who has worked for this production company for 16 years, said the show is an American classic.\n"'Show Boat' is an absolute classic (of) American musical theater…it truly is," Requa said. "This production is physically beautiful, and the singing is extraordinary."\nCharles Railsback, undergraduate adviser of the theater department, said the show is important to the American stage.\n"It's a landmark musical, a musical in which key elements of theater come together," Railsback said. "It has been the fight of outstanding American theater work."\nShow time is 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the Auditorium Box Office, at all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 333-9955, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets range from $30 to $50, with a 50 percent discount available for IU-Bloomington students.
(01/22/01 4:17am)
Although classic theatrical productions typically appeal to an older audience, Monroe County Civic Theater's production of "La Celestina" defies the standard, modifying an ancient story and attracting a younger crowd Friday.\n"It's fun seeing young people doing a classic show," audience member David Goodrum said. "It would be interesting to know why they chose this play for their production."\nJunior Josée Poza went to "La Celestina" and said he enjoyed the production, which he described as a typical high school show.\n"Although they still have a long way to go, being a young cast, it was a good production," he said. "I liked the director's idea of modernizing the play. I also really enjoyed the actor who played Celestina (Steve Heise)."\nThe set was simple, keeping the audience's attention centered primarily on the costumes and the action. Beyond the simplicity of the costumes, the music of was impressive, enhancing the modernist theme of the play.\nAlthough the cast performed well together, Heise, stood out and gave an exceptional performance. He was one of the few good reasons to see this show. His Old English accent and sophomore Kristin Demming's (Melibea) were the only ones that did not resemble typical American amateur Shakespeare speech patterns.\nDemming was convincing in her objectives and actions. She gave an authentic performance as a young teenager confused about sex and the strenuous process of puberty.\nSome of the ideas director Katelin Vesely adapted to the original script made little sense. For example, taking an old piece of fine literature and modifying it by making some of the characters homosexual is wrong. \nThe shift toward a modern version does not show respect for the playwright's original intentions. The Old English accent did not complement the modern plot twists. A more present tone of voice would have helped the audience understand each line and helped the characters give more believable performances.\nThe show wasn't quite professional, as a few cast members forgot their lines and part of the set fell. But Heise made a funny expression to conceal the incident, his amazing stage presence masking the obvious mistake.